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Few days ago I spent few hours searching for cool bands on a Finnish Mp3 sites, after a bunch of more or less cool listenings, I crossed the triangle of flames and had to face the skull: Here's some good stuffs to kick your death metallic ass! NERLICH Plays somekind of old school brutal death meets old school death that has severe molesting chances to please fans of underground Death metal! Check out this interview to know more about this totally underground band!
1. Since most of our feeble cybernetic readers don't know anything about NERLICH, neither about the deep underground, and prefer to follow as rats the big money making "metal" labels and corporate "independent" webzines, introduce us to NERLICH!
Hello! So we´re
Nerlich, a young Death Metal band from Southern Finland (if you
happen to know a country named like that). The band was formed time
by time about three years ago, but the band started finally going
on fall of year 2003 when we got our first decent line-up together
and recorded our first self titled demo in the beginning of year
2004. After the demo our line-up improved alot as ex-Deepred drummer
Teemu Mutka and bassist Pekka Johansson joined the band which consisted
at the time of Jarno Nurmi (guitar) and Me (Miikka Merikallio: guitar/vocals).
Few months later we recorded a MCD called "Insane Creations
- Inorganic Echoes" (Gab seems to like it!) and started playing
some gigs. Now we´re planning to do a new release in June and you´ll
hear of it at our website: www.nerlich.tk
If
you wan´t to download our music for free go to: www.miskeri.net/nerlich
Nerlich is honoured to play old school death metal!
2. The first time I heard your demo I was fucking impressed! Your music sounds totally influenced by the great morbid Death metal of the 90's but it doesn't sound old or boring! It's totally professional and fresh, with some good vocals placed at the right moment and some good arrangements! How do you succeed to sound Fresh while many bands lack? Where you Death metal fans in the 90's as you recreate something you've spent your youth listening to, or is Death fucking metal something not so "old"?
None of us were a big death metal fan at it´s golden age in the early ninetees/late eighties. Because we all (except our drummer Teemu) we´re then about 3-8 years old. This our youth now and I´m a very big old school Death Metal fan. I´m 18-years-old at the moment and our drummer Temmu is 30 in this month. Teemu played Death Metal already in the mid-90s. I don´t have a clue why we sound good and fresh (maybe because of the odors of doedorant?), we just do this so good we can. Maybe it sounds fresh because this is fresh for most of us. We might sound good comparing to most Death Metal bands nowdays, because if you compare a good or just an decent band to those who are just bollocks then of course the unbollocks one sounds good.
3. When I listen to your Demo, I think about unholy Death metal entities such as old IMMOLATION (1st Lp), early GORGUTS, old DEATH, MORGOTH, DECREPIT... and loads of other neverending haunting cult death metal bands!! Tell us more about the influences of NERLICH and would you agree with the ones I talked about?
Death and Gorguts fucking rules! If someone wan´t to sell me Gorguts "Obscura" in decent price (10-20 euros) e-mail me: good_ridnz@yahoo.com I´m not so familiar with the other examples. We´re mainly influensed by Death, Suffocation, Pestilence, Gorguts and other old school death metal legends.
4. What does NERLICH means? It sounds fucking obscure and might evoke some ancient malignant deities in the minds of the most obscure Death metal fans! Is there a link with the cult moniker "DEMILICH"? It seems like it follows the tradition of strange sounding ancient Finnish bands' names such as DEMILICH, ADRAMALECH, DEMIGOD (or PURTENANCE and LUBRICANT in a smaller degree, if this kind of tradition exists).
There isn´t a link between names Nerlich and Demilich (but it fucking rules, the best Finnish band ever among with Abhorrence, add it to our influense list!)... The name Nerlich was given to us by our ex-guitarist Agnus and his friend Otso. In fact we don´t have a clue what it means. But if you´ll search for the name Nerlich in yahoo.com you´ll find a lot of websites of German people whos last name is Nerlich, and even an animal porn site! But to break the devious mystery we have made up a meaning for the name. So Nerlich means "Very college!", in the attitude of an animal called Chicken-ostrich-limb (in latin=Agnus Monophobius Agnus). So it practically means very twisted.
5. Your music isn't 100% suffocating old school, for example you have some old school brutal death ideas while some of your riffs reminded me a bit of early MALEVOLENT CREATION (1st album)... That's cool in my opinion since it keeps some Freshness in the way of playing!
We´are not trying to be as brutal as possible, because many bands suck because they´re just trying to be brutal as a frogs fuck. We´re just trying to be as good as possible, and the brutality comes along if it happens to come. We don´t pay atention to that, just to that the riffs, arrangement and vocals sounds good. Melevolent Creations first album was a big influense for our first demo. And maybe because of that the demo is thrashier than "Insane Creations - Inorganic Ehcoes" which is mainly influensed by Suffocation and Death.
I read some old articles dating back to the release of the first MALEVOLENT CREATION album, it said this wasn't really Death metal... it was some kind of too "core" and cold/ mechanical to be real Death metal... What's your opinion about it? Since then what could have been seen as not death metallic enough was totally accepted and the injection of new elements have been so strong the current death metal has few to do with the style of the early waves (for most bands at least). Do you think this so fast 'evolution' was something good for the style? Do you think we should keep Death metal as it is and never trying to change its basis (to keep it Death!) or are you welcome to few evolutions?
The Malevolent Creations first album is a little bit thrashy, but for me it is death metal record.For me all kinds of evolution is welcome, without evolution there wouldn´t be Atheist, Cynic, Suffocation or even Death. Music should always be in many forms, but it should also be good. There is much wrong with many death metal bands nowadays, but that´s not my problem really. If a band sucks then I don´tgive a fuck off if it exists or not.
Do you consider yourself as strong worshippers of early Death metal, or are you simply fans who do it the best way possible?
Both. I like alot of those 89-93 era bands, but the main thing is that it sounds good. I like very much bands sounding like early Death and Gorguts, but also like Frank Zappa.
6. Fucking hell! Those who dig a bit in the past of old school Death metal have probably realized Finland had quite a lot of old school Death metal bands playing it obscure! Some forgotten outfits of Death such as PURTENANCE, DEMILICH, DEMIGOD/ ADRAMELECH, FUNEBRE, DEPRAVITY, ABHORRENCE, NECROPSY, INTERMENT, LUBRICANT, MORDICUS, VOMITURITION... Do you know some of these bands? Is there something cool or exciting you can tell us about it? Do you know what some of the bands members are doing nowadays? It seems the Finnish scene of the 90's was as productive in obscure Death metal as the Swedish one, but it didn't get as much success and rewards! Have you got an idea about it?
I know just Demilich and Abhorrence, I have all of their releases and I like those very much. Demilichs guitarist/vocalist and drummer have some projects going. Abhorrence´s guitarist Tomi Koivusaari formed Amorphis, their basist is a freelancer reporter in Finnish newspapers and magazines. Demigod did reunion, but I didn´t like the new album, and I haven´t heard "Slumber of sullen eyes". I can´t say much of the old finnish death metal scene because I was so young when it happened.
7. Expect from SLUGATHOR and few thrashing bands I don't know much from the Finnish metal scene (I mean real metal, no abusively melodic or Goth crap! We want music with balls and an obscure feeling!), tell us more about it! Are there some totally unknown yet good bands haunting the deepest (and voluntary ignored by the feebles) pits of Finland? Do you think you have some common influences with SLUGATHOR? Sometimes NERLICH doesn't sound so different...
There was two great bands called Deepred and Torn, but those two are disbanned. Here are still existing some cool bands, but the situation is little bit dead right now. Slugathor is a very good band, it was a big influense for us to play death metal. They´re are also friends of us. Their guitarist Tommi "Turo" Krunkqvist did covers to all our release and he is a jolly good lad (fucking wanker).
8. Do you know the Swedish band KAAMOS? They do not have the same influences than NERLICH, they play an old school death metal that would rather follow an early Swedish vein, but you've some kind the same freshness in the way of expulsing the morbidity!
I know Kaamos, but haven´t heard it. I think I should check it out then.
9.How do you explain the fact NERLICH sounds so professional and haven't found an album deal yet? It's fucking weird! Especially when you see all the crappy albums released nowadays!
I don´t know. Maybe we are not good enough yet.
10. As you play an obscure kind of Death metal, I think you must see some obscure things during the band's rehearsals. Such as some flashes or vortexes of negative energy, morbid vibrations... If that's the case, does this kind of phenomenon occurs mainly during the rehearsals (or when few peoples are there) or during gigs? Is the obscure mood of Death metal always present during your gigs?
There was very morbid arguments and vitutation (=pissed offness) between me and our ex-guitarist Jarno Nurmi. Our drummer is many times in very obscure state of mind and don´t what is happening. There is very obscure alchoholic feeling during our gigs.
11. The Finnish ISTEN fanzine seems like it has always been more or less known in the underground (at least since I'm a part of it) both for its work but also for his quite wide opened mouth! Did you read some of his fanzines? Can you tell us more about the zine and the man behind it?
I don´t know Isten, but here is a new good zine called Miasma. There is always an interview with an old disbanned classic band. For now there has been Demilich, Xysma and Impetigo. I like those interviews very much, just those old school classics that I love.
12. What's your opinion about "all-stars" Death metal bands such as CHAOSBREED? These bands are composed of 'famous' musicians in the metal scene who haven't played Old school death since years and years... and suddenly they come back and play old school Death, now it's quite welcome again! Do you think it's for the money or it's sincere?
I don´t care. If they make good Dööds (=Death Metal)then it´s good. Chaosbreed is an ok band, but mostly these re-unions have been unnecessary.
13. Did you play in other bands before NERLICH? Did you record some demos or maybe an album? Was it Death metal or did it follow another kind of metal?
Teemu is the only one whos got something significant recorded. He was playing in Deepred and they recorded an very good album + some demos. He has played in many bands and now he plays in Jumalation (trash band) and some other bands among Nerlich. Jumalation is pretty good, I recommend.
14. I think your logo is cool! The first time I saw it, I thought something nice could hide behind these obscure thorns! On the other hand, many current bands prefer to have totally professionally designed logos built on computers... ok it looks totally pro and designed to please the mass of Death metal fans... but it looks like your marketing logos and it's too much of business focus in my opinion! It lost most of the underground appeal and obscure feeling a thorny or unreadable nasty logo could have! What's you opinion about it? What's your fave bands' logos and how many various NERLICH logos do you have? (AUTOPSY had a different logo for each release, that was cool!!).
I did the Nerlich logo, that´s the only one we have. I first drawed it and then edited with computer and then painted it red and put it to geosities.com wich made it looks very low quality... In most cases I don´t like digital stuff and the other bollocks included in it.
15. The last sentence of the last song on POSSESSED's "Seven churches" classic Lp is as follows: "Death metal came in the wind! Death metal!" What does this sentence evokes in your mind and how would you interpret it?
I don´t think the wind could be so strong that it could carry metal or someking of steel. But maybe when metal is dead it becomes rust and then it is lighter and wind can carry it.
16. Do you think EXHUMED did a good job when they covered this song called "Death metal" on their split CD with HEMDALE released in 96?(if you heard it). Do you like bands that record covers of good old classic songs? In your opinion shall it remain very close to the original way of playing or are changes and new ideas welcome? What are the best cover-songs you already heard?
It depends of many things. It´s good if it is original and sounds better than the original, otherwise it is in most cases unnecessary. But when playing live covering old classics is fun and necessary, at least for us.
Are there some songs you'd like to cover with NERLICH?
We have covered alot of songs live with Nerlich, songs from Suffocation, Pestilence, Slayer and Cannibal Corpse. We will maybe record one cover song from Suffocation in the near future.
17. Are you into tapes? Did you think about releasing your demo on tape or something like that?
Yeah, with a zombie eating his own bowel in the cover.
18. What kind of merchandising do you have available? Are there some NERLICH Tshirts? Badges? Patches?
There will be some t-shirts in the future. With a red logo, and zombie on the front eating it´s bowel. Warning to wannabe-true-metalheads the shirt will be white, because none really does white shirt nowadays. But don´t very those who can´t wear white can have a pink one.
19. Tell us about your future plans! Will you record another demo? Are there some good gigs planned? Thanx for your answers! Feel free to conclude! DEATH IS CERTAIN, LIFE IS NOT!
We´re going to record a new demo in June and we´re propably going to record a full lenght album in he end of this year. We´ll hoping to get a record deal in the near future. Keep the stench of your craquerdedinde brutal. A la lemuaa. Remember to check our homesite www.nerlich.tk Merde!
Website: http://www.nerlich.tk
